UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he will not give in to pressure from US President Donald Trump over the future of Greenland, despite threats of trade tariffs. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament, Starmer made it clear that Britain will stand by its principles and values on the issue.
Starmer said using tariffs to pressure allies is “completely wrong” and stressed that the UK’s position is firm. He told MPs that the future of Greenland should be decided only by the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark. According to him, this position will not change, even under economic pressure from the United States.
The prime minister suggested that President Trump’s recent criticism of the UK’s decision to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was linked to his views on Greenland. Starmer said Trump’s comments were meant to pressure Britain into changing its stance, something he said he would not do.
Trump, who arrived in Davos for the World Economic Forum, has recently taken a more aggressive tone towards the UK. He has criticised the Chagos deal, despite previously welcoming it, and has also threatened tariffs against allies as part of his trade strategy. Starmer said Britain would still engage constructively with the US but would not abandon its core values.
The issue has sparked wider political debate in the UK. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Britain has “more than done its bit” for NATO, even though he agreed with some of Trump’s criticism of the alliance. Farage said the UK stood by the US during the Afghanistan war and paid a heavy price in both money and lives.
Trump also used his Davos speech to criticise the UK’s energy policy, claiming Britain is not making enough use of North Sea resources. He said this has led to high energy prices and low energy output. The UK government has defended its approach, saying it is focused on long-term energy security and cleaner power.
Meanwhile, Starmer faced tough exchanges in Parliament, including clashes with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and criticism of the Green Party’s foreign policy. Despite the political tension, Starmer repeated that maintaining a strong relationship with the US is important, especially on defence and security, even if the two countries do not agree on everything.
Why is Starmer refusing to change the UK’s position on Greenland?
Starmer says the future of Greenland should be decided only by Greenland and Denmark, and that Britain will not accept pressure or tariff threats from the US to change this view.